A total of 26 cases of the H1N1 vaccine for Guyana has been confirmed, and according to the Health Ministry, is expected in the country early next month.

According to the Ministry, this was the advisory issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which acknowledged that there has been a further delay.

The Caribbean Region, in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), through the Revolving Fund, an organisation established in 1977 for mass procurement which benefits several small countries, was able to acquire 200 million doses of the vaccine.

This amount will be used in Latin America and the Caribbean Region; and of that amount approximately 240,000 doses are expected to be made available in Guyana.

This amount was first scheduled to arrive in mid-November, but due to a delay, a reduced amount, 70,000 doses, was expected sometime around December 15th.

The Health Ministry’s position is that upon acquisition, priority groups will be catered for first. Included in this group are children under five, pregnant women, persons suffering from asthma, and health workers.

Additionally, the Ministry of Health has affirmed that all cases of influenza-like illnesses will be monitored since the sector’s surveillance system is doing meticulous work to ensure early detection of any possible H1N1 infection in country.

Other efforts aimed at building capacity to deal with H1N1 locally include the acquisition of new equipment, costing some $8M, which has been set up at the National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHRL).

Dr Colin Roach, Director of NPHRL, said some work is still to be done before the equipment is fully operational.

This work includes the training of four staffers from the laboratory who will be tasked with conducting the H1N1 tests.

Roach pointed out that experts from the Centre from Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, United States, will be in Guyana on January 3, to conduct the training.

Once the equipment is operational, tests will be done locally, eliminating the need to send specimens for testing to CAREC in Trinidad and Tobago.

Along with this and until the vaccines arrive, members of the public are urged to continue practicing good hygiene and health workers are called upon to be more alert in a collaborative effort to keep transmission of H1N1 at a low level.